MLB could return by May in Arizona: Report
A general view of Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 10-APRIL 16, 2020 21
SPORTS
BY JOE PANTORNO
Major League Baseball
might be the first major North
American sport that resumes
play amid the coronavirus
pandemic.
Early Tuesday morning,
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported
that the league and its players
“are increasingly focused
on a plan” to start the season
by early May — significantly
earlier than anyone has been
expecting in recent weeks.
The plan — which has
received the backing of a
high-ranking federal health
official — would see all 30
teams playing their games in
Arizona with no fans in attendance.
The state features Chase
Field — home of the Arizona
Diamondbacks — which has
a synthetic playing surface
that holds the capabilities
of hosting three games in a
single day.
Arizona also hosts several
teams’ spring-training facilities,
adding an additional 10
MLB-worthy playing fields to
the mix.
MLB players, coaches and
staff members would be pseudo
isolated in local hotels,
only being allowed to travel
to the stadium for games.
Following the rapid outbreak
of COVID-19, MLB
canceled its spring training
on March 12 and postponed
Opening Day shortly after. As
the virus’ grip on the nation
continued to strengthen, it
seemed as though June would
be the earliest baseball could
return.
On Saturday, United States
President Donald Trump told
major pro sports commissioners
that his hope is for an
August or September return
to games with fans in attendance.
With MLB’s no-fan, Arizona
plan comes an obvious
number of speed bumps that
could throw a wrench into
things, though.
Besides the massive undertaking
of properly housing
an entire league’s worth
of personnel, MLB would
basically be isolating their
members away from their
families for the foreseeable
future — as long as four-anda
half months, per Passan.
There also would be some
major tweaks to games and
the game experience to ensure
player health and safety.
Among possible tweaks to
the game would see an electronic
strike zone implemented
to keep umpires away from
players, mound visits from
catchers or pitching coaches
being outlawed, players sitting
in the stands 6 feet apart
rather than in the dugout,
and an abundance of seveninning
doubleheaders.
For all of this to work,
though, suitable and efficient
coronavirus testing
must be constantly available
to ensure the health and
safety of the players. That
hasn’t been the case in the
United States so far, but Passan
notes that could change
by early May.
/QNS.COM
